Pokemon: Traurig Version
by Dr-Insean
Summary: A team of Pokemon has just lost their trainer in battle. Their story explores the the myriad emotions a Pokemon could feel from losing their trainer. Emotions like sadness, anger and happiness. The narration imitates wildlife documentaries, providing insight to Pokemon behavior and psychology.
1. Chapter 0

**Chapter 0**

**Corrupted Hall of Fame**

Welcome to the world of Pokemon, a world teeming with life and danger.

In this world, humans have erected many civilizations and inventions as the planet's self-perceived leaders while flora and fauna of countless species live the world over; some in cohabitation with humans and others still masters of their own domain. Somewhere between these classes is a kingdom called Pokemon.

Pokemon are creatures that live and behave as animals (and even plants), but have displayed intelligence on par with (and sometimes exceeding) that of humans. Like "lower" animals, humans first set about domesticating Pokemon for their impressive potential in combat, construction and medicine. However, the main reason Pokemon have remained a permanent and monumental boon to human civilizations is their ability to understand and bond with humans. These days, Pokemon are often considered legitimate family members and have vastly changed human cultures.

While humans widely attest to how Pokemon impact their lives, little research has been done to vice versa. The most that even the world's leading Professors can confirm is that Pokemon grow to trust (or at least obey) their owners or trainers and that they genuinely enjoy competitive battles, so long as they remain more play than survival (debunking early wildlife activist assertions that it was as harmful to Pokemon as it is to "lower" animals). Beyond that, anything regarding the inner workings of a Pokemon's mind and the ways humans impact their lives is still largely unknown and left to assumptions based on behavioral observations.

It presents and interesting study, then, when a team of battling Pokemon has recently lost their trainer.

The Region is Traurig, a neighbor to the Kalos Region but not as popular in the field of Pokemon study and training. The area is Schwarzwald, a dense forest so-named for its tendency to block out sunlight and folklore casting it as a dangerous, forbidden realm filled with otherworldly monsters. While modern science has disproven these monsters to be otherworldly, they are still dangerous Pokemon; so powerful that trainers are barred from entering if they don't have an Elite Four certification.

The day is overcast and a light rain dampens the ground in a lightly-wooded clearing on a sheer cliff overlooking the area's watery Schwarzesmeer. It is here that a team of five Pokemon comes to a stop after a long, frantic run.

"Hold up, hold up!" a female Rhyperior bluntly shouted in between gasps. "Gimme a minute here!" Her large size and bulky limbs have not proven conducive to the retreat her team has been making.

"I keep telling you, we're going the _wrong way_!" a female Raichu walked up from behind the Rhyperior, not from lack of speed but lack of ambition to run. "Sensei's back there! We have to go back and help-" Her plea was cut short.

"We can't." A soft-spoken Roserade at the head of the group interjected. "It's been a day since those humans attacked and we haven't seen Meister since we ran. You know what that means." The Roserade spoke in as short bursts as possible and kept their back to the group, desperately trying to mask that their appearance was female despite their gender being male.

"No! Why don't you tell me!?" the Raichu shot back, tears welling in her eyes, the answer already on her mind.

"Our Trainer is dead." A Cryogonal answered with the subtlety of a hammer and the emotional warmth of ice. "The bandits had us cornered, so we were at a disadvantage. The bandits were criminals, so they wouldn't hesitate to kill. Our Trainer told us to flee, so we know the situation was dire. It is obvious that the bandits killed our Trainer and likely our teammate."

The Raichu buried her face into a nearby tree and sobbed at Cryogonal's merciless answer. As the Rypherior sought cover from the rainfall under another tree, a Mr. Mime slowly caught up with the rest of the group. His hands folded behind his back, his head down and his eyes calmly closed. The Roserade turned as little as he could to speak to the Mr. Mime.

"What do you think?" Roserade asked. "Could you read their minds to learn anything?"

"An' why did the last guy bother stickin' around back there? Why not just run away with us?" the Rhyperior asked about the team's missing member. Arms folded on her chest casually.

"In all the hustle and bustle, it's never easy getting a peek at peoples' thoughts." Mr. Mime answered with a laid-back, almost grandfatherly tone. "Those thugs call themselves Team Something or Other and despite their silly uniforms, they meant business. As for our other friend…Starters never leave their Trainers. No matter what."

The group stood in silence, save for the Raichu sniffing as she wiped away her tears.

The Rypherior is Tonka, named after a series of toys that were "built tough," much like her rocky hide.

The Raichu, named Asuka, is of a slender build for her species and has longer-than-usual arms and legs that prove much better for Fighting-Type attacks. She wears a tattered red scarf and red tape on her fists and toes.

The Roserade is Kafka. Despite his attempts to look masculine and distant, his soft voice and build still ooze a feminine quality.

The Cryogonal has no special name, but does bear a distinctive scar running diagonally down its face.

Lastly, the Mr. Mime wears a rough, burlap sack fashioned into a hood and cloak. While this hides most of his body, it is clear that his skin colors and faded from the norm for his species. He is not, as textbooks describe, a "Shiny" Pokemon though, as he still has the same colors of a regular Mr. Mime, only muted. His name is Pennywise, after a character from one of his former trainer's favorite books.

Pennywise, sporting a small, simple smile, sat cross-legged on a nearby boulder. Folding his hands on his lap and keeping his head down, his cloak draped all around his body.

"Asuka's right." He said, unprovoked. The others snapped out of their thoughts. "We really _should_ stick together."

"There's no point." The Cryogonal objected without even a moment's delay. "Aside from how few Double or Triple Battles we've had, our Types have no strategic combinations and are all weak to exceedingly-common attacks. Two of us are overwhelmingly weak against Ground-Type attacks while the other two are equally vulnerable to Fire. You yourself are useless against Dark-Types. We would spend more time defending one another than actually fighting off attackers. Trying to work as a team would be more of a burden than a benefit and therefore prove suicidal."

"But we all know each other!" Asuka objected, her voice almost cracking and letting out another sob. "I mean, it's not like anyone _else'll_ help us…Like, if we don't stick together, Tonka won't be able to help us move boulders. And…who's gonna protect Kafka from-"

"I don't need to be protected!" Kafka shouted, cracking a Vine Whip on the ground as he turned to scold Asuka. A second passed and Kafka felt his voice too soft and his body too exposed, so he covered himself with his cape as best he could before continuing. "I'm not some dame…And none of us owes the others any favors. Much safer for us to split up and leave it at that. As far as I'm concerned, we're free Pokemon again."

That last sentiment choked up Asuka, but caught Tonka's attention. She considered something she hadn't considered before. As the possibilities ran through her mind, a grin started to take form on her mouth. She restrained herself before it got too big (no easy feat considering the size of her maw).

As Tonka hung back, Asuka blurted out arguments that largely amounted to emotional gibberish. The Cryogonal disagreed with and rebuked every one of her statements, seemingly for no reason other than to disagree. Kafka tried to distance himself from the group and draw as little attention to himself. Pennywise, ever-quiet and never-moving, sat in the middle of this dysfunction. His head never rose, but his anger did. Too much noise, not enough communicating. If this team wouldn't learn from each other, then maybe they'd learn from an instructor. His mind sent out a message. That message was received.

"Woah…" Tonka snapped out of her daydream as she felt the ground and her tree vibrate. "Hey guys, shut up! Did anyone else feel that?"

The group, sans Pennywise, looked in Tonka's direction. They felt nothing…Then a vibration…Then a shake. Then a quake. Then a crash! Then terror!

Out of the dense forest behind them, a wild Salamence crashed through the trees like they were just grass. It let out a deafening cry that was part roar and part screech. Tonka scurried from her tree and all eyes fell on the massive Dragon. Even on four legs, it was 10 feet tall, twice the size of the species' norm of 4'11", and every inch of its frame was unrelenting muscle.

"What the fu-" Tonka started to exclaim before getting knocked onto her back by a swift Dragon Tail from the Salamence.

The beast didn't give the team a moment to think and started stomping toward them, each stomp causing Kafka's slender feet difficulty in standing. Asuka's broader, more battle-hardened feet easily braced the quakes and allowed her to charge the Salamence in an upright dash. The Cryogonal floated in mid-air, being immune to shaky footing allowed it to take aim for its attack.

"Just what I needed! Something to punch!" Asuka declared as she pulled her arm back for one of her favorite attacks.

The Salamence swiftly shot its head forth at her, aiming to swallow her whole. Asuka managed to backflip just out of the beast's reach. It quickly snapped at her again, but she threw its aim off with a series of Double Team clones. The Cryognal saw this distraction as the perfect time to let forth an Ice Beam. The pillar of white easily nailed the Salamence on its broad, unguarded body, sending the behemoth into a pained shriek. It instantly turned to the source of its pain and saw another beam coming, this time for its face. This time, a circle of blue energy manifested to protect the Salamence.

"I don't understand." Cryogonal thought out loud. Another Ice Beam uselessly collided into the blue shield as Salamence raised its head to look at its cold prey. "What is this attack? I have not seen it before."

"But you have, haven't you?" a voice spoke in Kafka's head. His unsteady footing and the surprise of an unexpected voice felled him to his knees. He looked around and quickly saw Pennywise, still sitting on his boulder. "It's Protect, isn't it? You have the most battle experience of us all. Your knowledge and their powers? Could be _quite_ the combination…"

Kafka felt a dizziness, the kind all Poison-Types feel when exposed to Psychics, but he shook it off. He'd have to _trust_ any of them before he could coKafkate with them. Between their erratic personalities and the way they were always staring at him and treating him like a dainty doll, that wasn't going to happen.

Still on his knees, Kafka raised a bouquet to aim at Salamence, who was still distracted by Cryogonal. While the beast kept throwing Protect up, any attack they tried would be wasted. He knew he had to wait for just the right opening in between shields if he wanted his hit to count. Judging by the Cryogonal's rate of fire, half a second passed in between each attempted Ice Beam. Of course, his years of tutelage under his Meister taught Kafka that he was severely out-gunned in both Type and power against a monster like this. A direct attack would be pointless, so a distraction was the best he could muster. As if this day couldn't get any better…

Ice Beam. Protect. Ice Beam. Protect. Leech Seed. Salamence is confused.

"That won't hurt him, but it will hold him long enough!" Kafka exclaimed to his teammates. "I don't care what you do, but this is your chance to escape!"

"I'm not going anywhere." Asuka responded bitterly, still hiding amongst her Double Team clones. "I've got nothing to run away to and this creep just made my hit list."

The Salamence didn't give Kafka or the Cryogonal a chance to debunk Asuka's strategy because an Ember from its mouth burned the seeds and vines that were tangled in its face. It roared at the sky as the cinders fell to the ground.

"Hate to disagree kid," Tonka grunted as she pulled herself up, still sore from the vicious Dragon Tail from earlier, "but I finally _do_ have somewhere to run away to. And I'm not gonna lose it. NOT TO THIS GUY!"

Tonka's horn drill spun with an ear-piercing shriek. She anchored herself to the ground with her massive arms and plunged her industrial-grade drill into the ground. A Fissure started to crack but its effects were felt even before it could spread.

"Aw crap." Tonka stopped her drill. "We're on the wrong side of the cliff for this to work…"

She was correct. With their backs to the cliff's edge and the Schwarzesmeer below, the only thing a Fissure would accomplish is breaking off the team's side of the rock and send them plummeting. Salamence, standing on the mainland side of the Fissure, would be spared their fate.

Tonka tried to slowly pull her horn out of the ground so as not to spread the crack, but her caution was met with hostility from Kafka.

"Manometer! You didn't think to run that move by us first!?" he pouted as he came up beside Tonka. "You could have gotten us killed!"

"Oh, so _now_ you wanna talk, Pretty Boy!?" Tonka growled back, her self-preservation instinct the only thing keeping her from losing her temper. "An' since when did we become a _team_ anyway!?"

The episode of bickering was cut short when Salamence saw an easy target and Crunched down on Tonka's back. Tonka was still trying to remove her horn from the ground, so the Salamence was free to continue squeezing its jaws. Kafka quickly climbed over Tonka's back and touched down on the ground on her other side. Face-to-face with the Dragon, Kafka calmly raised both of his bouquets to point-blank range.

Before he could charge the proper Beam to fire, the Salamence simply let out a gust of wind through its nostrils. The force of the wind and Kafka's light frame saw him knocked off his feet and flying through the air. The force of the wind alone almost knocked him out, so he couldn't open his eyes, let alone save himself, when he sailed right over the edge of the cliff. Before he flew too far past the edge, however, an opaque energy field gently encased him, stopping his flight trajectory. The energy moved the cringing Roserade back to solid ground and laid him down to catch his breath.

"It seems this is getting out of hand…" Pennywise thought to himself as his Telekinesis released Kafka. Asuka jumped over Pennywise, heading toward the Salamence and Tonka. A few dozen Double Team clones followed suit.

The Cryogonal hovered high above the battlefield to get an optimal angle on the Salamence, still digging its teeth into Tonka's hide. From up there, the Cryogonal saw the platoon of Asukas surround the Dragon and some climb up on its back. This posed a problem. Although the Cryogonal and Asuka could not be considered friends, her vicinity to their common enemy would make raining projectiles down more complicated; partly because eliminating a teammate in the process is strategically unviable (aside from triggering Explosions in Voltorbs and the like) and partly because she might simply get in the way and ruin an otherwise good shot.

"What are you doing?" the sentient snowflake asked. "You are ruining an optimal shot."

"I gotta shot for this guy." Asuka responded as she and her clones pulled a fist back each. "About a hundred of 'em!"

The Salamence saw tiny but furious fists flying into its body from all sides, but it only ever felt one set of fists at a time. Even more confusing, where the fists were landing was constantly changing. Unbeknownst to her opponent, Asuka was utilizing a rare Double Team technique that practically worked as teleporting all around the area of her clones. Essentially, Asuka was switching places with an adjacent clone every second. She could keep her opponent guessing by switching her position before they could get a track on her; in the hands of a true expert, rapidly moving from clone to clone could allow one to punch a target from multiple sides simultaneously.

Small as the sensation of being punched was, it was confusing and annoying enough to pry the Dragon's mouth and attention from Tonka and over to Asuka. Standing still, it quickly snapped up the closest Raichu at its side, but found nothing in its mouth. Mildly annoyed, it snapped again and again, only to find nothing. Before Asuka could grin at her foe's frustration, the foe let out a Dragon Breath and raked it across every clone around its body. By the third clone's destruction, Asuka didn't like her chances and jumped up on the Dragon's back…just in time to catch the Cryogonal's Ice Beam, sparing the Salamence the trouble of getting hit with it. The Beam ended in half a second, but it was enough to knock Asuka down and send her limply sliding off the Salamence's back.

"I told you that you were ruining-GNNH!" Cryogonal attempted to scold Asuka for intercepting its attack, but attracted Salamence's Dragon Breath. The attack sent it falling back to the ground like a flipped coin.

As the Cryogonal fell to the ground, Tonka finally got up from it. Still right in front of the Salamence, it wasn't long before they locked eyes. Being a 7 foot rhino made of rock, Tonka wasn't used to being dwarfed by anyone or feeling defenseless. An overgrown Dragon with fangs sharp enough and a tail strong enough to crack even her hide, however, is certainly enough to put a sense of dread in anyone. The Salamence, seemingly savoring this last victim in a long conquest, let loose a roar to the skies before preparing to attack.

"I finally get away from that human," Tonka said to herself through gritted teeth, "and I don't even get to enjoy it." She dug her hands into the ground and picked up some large rocks, spun her drill and got ready for a last stand. "Laugh it up, Ugly! Let's see how you eat me without any teeth!"

Tonka smashed her boulders together, but found no Salamence between them. Confused, she looked up at her predator and saw that it had a distant glaze in its eyes, like it was in a trance. The Dragon looked around confusedly, licking the air with its tongue to get a scent. Finding nothing, the Dragon reluctantly turned around and headed back into the thick woods, looking over its shoulder to double-check the area before finally disappearing.

"What the fu-" Tonka thought aloud before a voice sounded in her actual thoughts.

"I was _hoping_ for better," Pennywise spoke in all of his teammates' minds, stirring them back to consciousness, "but to be fair, I was _expecting_ worse."

The group slowly but surely got back to their feet; back to a low hover for Cryogonal. The suddenness of the Salamence's appearance and departure and Pennywise's words made it pretty clear how the beast found them. All eyes were on the mime.

"What was all that?" Kafka asked, again hiding his body behind his cape and his voice behind short sentences.

"I sent a psychic invitation to the first mind I could find. I sent him on his way by confusing his senses with Trick Room." Pennywise spoke out loud but still with that calm, doting tone.

"And why's _that_, Smart Guy!?" Tonka demanded, bringing her drill within an inch of Pennywise's face. He didn't move. He didn't even open his eyes.

"You didn't think you should stay together as a team. I wanted to show you that you were wrong."

"The only thing you proved is that we do not have the training, nor the Type combinations to effectively work together." Cryogonal responded, neither angry about the attack nor gloating that it was right. "As I said, we are more likely to die fighting together than we are to save each other."

"You never worked together before but you survived this long. You are all exceptional on your own. Think of what you could do togeth-" Pennywise was cut short.

"Oh don't give us that cliché." Kafka started walking toward the thick woods. He didn't bother looking back at any of his teammates. "No part of this team was ever supposed to go together in the first place and then _you_ almost got us killed on a hunch! None of us has any reason to trust the other and we're all better off leaving each other alone."

"You can live like an island," Pennywise calmly, almost cheerily, spoke to Kafka, stopping him in his tracks, "but you won't survive many storms that way. Try looking beyond your own shores and you'll see not everyone out there is so hostile."

Kafka couldn't be bothered to respond, he just disappeared into the shadows of the forest. Tonka started making her way to that same forest.

"I didn't know you guys so well, and we _did_ almost die just now, but congratulations." Tonka waved casually to the group without turning to face them. "Enjoy your freedom. You deserve it."

"You say you're free, but are you sure you're not a slave to your past?" Pennywise replied. Tonka turned to see what he was talking about. "I think nostalgia's blinding you right now. What do you plan on doing when you get to where you're going? Be queen of the wee people?"

"I don't know what kinda Psychic crap you're pulling," Tonka replied, her laid-back tone belying her annoyance, "but stay outta my head. Otherwise, you won't _get_ to enjoy yourfreedom…"

With that, Tonka turned back to the woods. At 630 pounds, she didn't bother squeezing between trees. Whatever was in her way was scraped by her rocky hide or pushed over as she saw fit. For unrelated reasons, Cryogonal would not be using the trees for its exit.

"Where are you off to?" Pennywise asked as the Cryogonal started floating over the Schwarzesmeer.

"The most logical place for me to go is the closest, coldest area from here. The most logical route to go is the route of least resistance. Birds will be easier to fend off than Dragons." The Cryogonal's response was simple and straight-forward. No emotional baggage where there was no emotion.

"Can't argue with that." Pennywise responded with a light chuckle. "Good bye stranger, it's been nice. Hope you find your paradise. Just remember, you'll always have a place in misery right here if you get lonely."

"That's impossible. I have no fondness for you, nor will I learn any from the short time we spent together. You would be better off moving on and taking care of yourself instead of everyone else."

The Cryogonal floated off into the distant fog. All that was left was Asuka, Pennywise and the rain. Asuka was chewing her scarf and fidgeting with her tail. She couldn't bring herself to look at Pennywise, so she looked at her feet. Even if he called a Dragon after them, he was all she had. All she had left of her Sensei.

The rain pattered. An eternity passed. Attempts to say something were stifled under losses of confidence.

"You really ought to go." Pennywise shattered the silence with an indoor voice. He turned and smiled at Asuka.

"But…But what about sticking together?" Asuka muffled through her scarf, her eyes still on her feet.

"I'm not going anywhere. Take your time. Think it all through before you decide what you want to do."

"Is that…my good bye speech?" Asuka lifted her eyes to Pennywise but still hid her mouth behind her scarf.

"I don't think you need one. You look like you'd rather have a good bye hug anyway."

Almost as quickly as he stretched his arm out to invite her, Asuka ran up to Pennywise and squeezed him with a bitter love. She buried her face in his cloak and let out all the tears she could and then a few more. After letting the hug linger for a minute longer, Asuka finally pried herself away and hopped off Pennywise's boulder. Taking one last look at Pennywise, Asuka ran off in the direction the team came from. Unlike most Raichus, she ran upright, with her arms trailing behind her with her scarf and tail.

After seeing his teammate off, Pennywise withdrew his arm into his cloak, closed his eyes and looked back down at the ground. To pass the time of hopeful anticipation that his teammates would return, Pennywise said goodbye to his beloved trainer. Maybe while he was at it, he could figure out what the significance of the name "Pennywise" was. Humans can be so strange sometimes…


	2. Chapter 1

**Pokemon: Traurig Version**

**Chapter 1: Buried Alive**

In Pokemon studies, little research has been conducted in the fields of Pokemon-Trainer relations. The feelings and tendencies of a trainer towards their companions are well-documented and plain to tell, but that only represents half of the equation. The impact humans have on Pokemon is still largely a mystery beyond obedience in Pokemon battles and breeding. On a bleak, rainy day in the Traurig region, a Raichu could have proven invaluable research material without realizing it.

Asuka ducked into a cave to get out of the rain. After shaking her fur dry, she leaned against a wall, rung her scarf out and slumped down. Burying her face into her red-taped paws, she proceeded to get her fur wet again.

"Who say that?" a squeaky voice, trying to pass itself off as tough, asked from the darkness.

"Who say what?" an equally squeaky, albeit slightly deeper, voice responded. His answering a question with another question was not appreciated, made obvious through an audible slap.

"Shaddup! Me hear…crying? What sissy crying?" the first voice sounded again.

A small colony of Zubats descended from the pitch-black ceiling. Flying in place, their keen ears pointed them in Asuka's direction. The Raichu's muffled sobs had attracted their ire. Asuka heard them but kept to herself; she had bigger things on her mind than these smallfry. Sadly, the smallfry had nothing better to do with their time.

"Hey, rocks!" the Zubat belonging to the first squeaky voice called out, looking to the ground. "Who's crying?"

"Crying?" a Geodude on the ground asked as it opened its eyes, seemingly offended by the prospect of someone crying, "Who crying? Oh. Huh huh. It sissy human-pet!"

Upon hearing the words "sissy human-pet," several more Geodudes stirred from their slumbers and gathered around Asuka as if to trap her in.

What little research exists on Pokemon psychology indicates that Pokemon in the wild have a distaste for humans, finding them both tyrannical for catching Pokemon, and weak for using Pokemon to fight their own battles. This distaste extends to Pokemon owned by humans, wild Pokemon viewing them as traitors to the wild and accusing them of living soft, easy lives. Clearly, most Pokemon tend to come around to loving, or at least tolerating, humans once caught. Trained Pokemon also tend to become much stronger than their wild kin, but it would be foolish to assume wild Pokemon know of such things.

Ancient folklore implies that the reason for this animosity was that a human brazenly struck down the once-peaceful Pokemon in vain displays of swordsmanship, but scientific research puts that claim into doubt. Wild Pokemon, much like wild "lower animals" are, to be frank, wild. It should come as no surprise to anyone that they would be defensive and territorial around outsiders, especially when a Pokemon's higher-than-animal intelligence can register humans as an on-going intruder to their habitats.

Different species of Pokemon have different ways of deterring or avoiding human contact. Cave-dwelling Pokemon like Zubats and Geodudes are infamous for their single-minded pursuit to destroy humans. Whether it's because of their hardy nature or the fact that they live in isolation and thusly don't know any better is open for debate, but no one can argue that they are relentless in picking fights and thoroughly dislike humans and their Pokemon. All of that was little to none of Asuka's interest, but it had become her immediate business.

"Leave me alone!" Asuka sulked, curling more into a ball and wrapping her tail around herself. "I don't feel like fighting…"

"Huh huh." a dopey-voiced Geodude laughed as he picked up Asuka's discarded scarf. "She wear sissy clothes like sissy hu-OOF!"

Before the belligerent rock could finish his observation, Asuka sent him flying into the darkness with a Brick Break. It's normally a weak move, but Asuka enhanced its power by stomping forward with her foot and swinging her arm forward in a circular motion; techniques borrowed from the human martial art, Choy Li Fut.

"Don't touch that." Asuka said calmly and grimly through narrowed eyes. She left her fist out extended and caught her scarf as it drifted back down from above.

Most of the Geodudes were stunned by what they saw, used to Electric types being powerless against them, but one behind Asuka decided to rush her. Lifting her foot for mobility, twisting her waist for momentum and closing her eyes for added coolness, Asuka turned around and sent the attacker flying through the air with a Force Palm with her scarfed hand. The unwitting rock sped into the darkness like a bullet, colliding into two of her ilk and taking them with her.

The three Geodudes left attacked Asuka from the side. The one on the left was stunned with an elbow to the face, the middle one blinded by the scarf she threw at him as she spun past him and the one on the right was Sky Uppercuted high into the air. Coming back down, she High Kicked (or rather High Stomped) the blinded Geodude and hurled the stunned Geodude up at the ceiling.

Since they couldn't properly make out what was going on with just hearing alone, the Zubats were slow to join the fray. By the time they finally did, the hurled Geodude crashed into all but three of them. The remainders were swiftly dispatched with a Thundershock. Asuka's electric output wasn't as strong as most Raichus, but it was enough to take care of these losers.

"Ha!" Asuka laughed as she put her scarf back on, spirits high and chin raised even higher. "Do you guys even _fight_? You look like a buncha' amateurs!"

Asuka celebrated her victory by boxing an imaginary opponent. A big, cheeky grin plastered on her face as she bragged to nobody conscious enough to hear her.

"Did you see me just now!? Twisting for momentum, laying into my hits for power and I didn't miss a beat! You can have your rocky bodies and all the muscles in the world, but you'll never beat technique and precision! It's just like Sensei taught…Oh."

Her fists dropped, her shoulders slumped and her smile vanished. She sat down to calm her spinning head, but to no avail. With one word, Asuka took the wind out of her own sails.

"Sensei...You're gone. But…I mean, you were young, right? You were young and I was young. We were supposed to have so much _time_. We were gonna _live_ together. _Grow up_ together. But now…I mean, it doesn't even feel real! This has to be some sick joke! Someone _has_ to be lying and you're just hiding somewhere!...This is just so wrong."

Asuka's throat choked up too much to make any more words.

As if making up for her muteness, somebody else's words could be heard in the distance, "How _big_ is this cave anyway?"

With only a few exceptions, Pokemon don't speak any human languages, but they can recognize a human's voice without fail. This was a trainer.

"No, no, _no_!"Asuka thought as she worriedly looked around for cover.

She blindly stumbled through the dark until she found a boulder to hide behind. She couldn't see the trainer, but her ears told her she was a safe distance from them. She dared not breathe a sigh of relief though. She couldn't afford to be heard.

"Stay away from me!" Asuka thought as she tried to compress her body to dimensions nature wouldn't allow. "I don't want another trainer! I'm not betraying my Sensei like that…"

"_Finally_!" the trainer moaned off in the distance. "I thought I'd _never_ find the exit. If I ever see a Zubat or Geodude again, it'll be too soon!"

With that remark, the trainer left the cave. A faint complaint about the rain could be heard in the distance, but that was not the least of Asuka's concerns. As soon as she was certain the coast was clear, she got up from her hiding spot and started searching for a more reclusive area to squat in case more trainers came.

"That Trainer's probably better off without me anyway." Asuka sulked to herself; shoulders slumped and tail dragging behind her. "I couldn't protect Sensei. I'd probably just fail _them_ too."

Asuka came to an unusually narrow opening in a wall. The entryway had a stalagmite jutting up in the center which Asuka bumped into, her head hung too low to watch where she was going. After shaking out of her stupor, she walked around the rock and noticed two stalactites hanging precariously over the entryway.

"Well, this place is weird enough." Asuka said to no one as she noted just how oddly narrow and foreboding this entryway was. "Figure no one'll come in here."

Once inside the room, Asuka saw she had a tiny little enclosure all to herself. The walls were sloped down to the floor and the floor was smooth (providing a nice wall to curl up next to), the room was dark and cool (giving a superb environment to doze off in) and, best of all, there were no Geodudes or Zubats (self-explanatory). Overall, it was the perfect place to throw a pity party, and Asuka was invited. After a few steps into the room, Asuka found a spot against the wall and curled up in a ball.

Asuka was content to leave the world alone for a while, but the world had one more chore for her. Right next to this room's entryway, mostly obscured by darkness, was a boulder. On this boulder were eyes, four arms and an appetite for violence. Asuka's recent narrations stirred this boulder from its sleep and a few heavy footsteps stirred Asuka's from hers.

"Aww…" Asuka moaned as she looked over her shoulder. "What _now_?"

"Heh. Heh. Heh." The slow, breathy and hoarse laughter came from the mouth of a Graveler. "You. Human-Pet."

Asuka's eyes widened and she gritted her teeth. She tried to stand up calmly, but her nervousness clearly showed in how quickly she got to her feet. She folded her arms across her chest and titled her head to the side to try to convince the Graveler her heart wasn't beating through her ribcage. Not even the cave's poor lighting and the Graveler's poor brain power could make the act believable.

"So, I guess you're one of the big guys here." Asuka said, feigning a casual interest in her 'new friend.'

"Biggest." The Graveler replied. "So. Big. Me have. Name. Called. Big Rock."

Though the name wasn't very impressive, the fact that Big Rock had one to begin with was. As noted earlier, wild Pokemon are wild. As such, most of them live in isolation or animal groupings like herds and packs. They seldom show any signs of civilization beyond what "lower" animals know. Wild Pokemon also do not like humans or their customs. Combining these factors, one will note that Pokemon do not identify themselves with names and rarely place any kind of status on their kin unless they are a pack leader. For a Pokemon to be given a name by its neighbors is a sign of fear of that Pokemon's power, almost a cult following. Like the warriors of old, these names are never chosen by the Pokemon themselves and are never given lightly. In a manner of speaking, this entire cave belonged to Big Rock.

"Oh. That's a cool name." Asuka lied through her chattering teeth. "I've got name too. It's-"

Big Rock was standing right over Asuka and it became obvious that he was literally twice as tall and twice as wide as her. Suddenly, she found her bravado balled up in her throat and her head spinning around the room. At the risk of sounding obvious, Asuka doesn't like Gravelers and Gravelers don't like little things that they can beat up.

Big Rock would have delivered a witty one-liner before he smashed Asuka, but he couldn't help but notice that she jumped over his head, the butterflies in her stomach no doubt helping her get some air. With her tail wrapped around her waist, there was nothing for Big Rock to grab her by; she was just a short sprint away from escaping this room and leaving Big Rock behind. Only problem was, the ground started shaking.

"Where you go?" Big Rock asked with a facetious grin. His fists were buried into the ground as he sent a Magnitude out to disrupt his prey's footing.

Magnitude is a skill that requires total concentration to pull off at maximum strength; in order to catch Asuka in time, Big Rock couldn't focus for anything more than Level 4 out 11, not that focus was ever his strong-suit. Even though the attack wasn't even at half strength, it was more than enough to stop Asuka in her tracks. The tremors rocked her feet enough to send her to the ground and, more importantly, rattled the walls of the cavern. A few pebbles fell from the ceiling and bounced off Asuka's head. She picked herself up in time and looked at her exit, the narrow passage between two stalagmites. A giant stalactite crashed down between the stalagmites like teeth crashing down in a giant maw. No escape from the belly of the beast.

"I don't wanna fight you!" Asuka yelled as she picked herself up and unwrapped her tail from her waist. She could have just as easily said 'I _can't_ fight you.'

"Too. Bad." Big Rock pounded his four fists together as he trudged over to Asuka.

"Stay. Away from me!" Asuka let loose all the electricity in her cheeks. Although Ground types like Gravelers are immune to electricity, a dazzling display of power can still scare off most wild Pokemon. Problem is…

"That? It?" Big Rock hardly found Asuka's cheek deficiency intimidating.

Asuka was born with poor conducting glands in her cheeks, which reduced how much electricity she could store and discharge at a time. For a Raichu, that's normally fatal to their battle possibilities. However…

"Shut up! My Sensei trained me to fight Gravelers!"

Asuka, finally frustrated by her opponent, rushed forward pummeling his body with Arm Thrusts. She closed her eyes, screamed until her ears rang and never stopped crashing her fists into her brutish enemy. She knew it was pointless before he did. She saw him swatting her away before he swatted her.

After a smack and a bounce, Asuka came to a stop and lay on her back. A bruise decorated her face, but that was not why she gnashed her teeth flared her nostrils. Big Rock said something or other, but Asuka heard another voice. A voice from her memories.

"There are five Tenets on the Path of Graveler." Asuka said to herself through clenched teeth. "Fist Tenet: Speed. The Graveler is strong and sturdy, but slow. Your speed will confuse your foe and save your life."

Big Rock grabbed Asuka by her tail and dragged her in. He brought her up to his face. She tried to look away, but he grabbed her head with one of his stubby arms and made her look at him.

"What? You? Saying?" His breath smelled like dirt. Not at all surprising, but it wasn't exactly helping Asuka's bad day.

"My Sensei learned from the best martial artists in the world!" Asuka snapped at him, not caring if he crushed her skull. "The one in the yellow jumpsuit, the one who runs and jumps on all the walls and even the one with the black suit and the cars! Sensei studied them and taught me how to fight like them! Think like them!"

"Think. Fast." Ironic as it was coming from him, Big Rock followed up his taunt by swinging Asuka around by her tail like she was a toy; like a toy, he was amused by her scarf trailing behind her. He let her go and watched as she sped through the air like a screaming, orange bullet with streamers. Needless to say, he wanted to Seismic Toss her again.

Asuka managed to tuck her head mid-flight, but still bounced off the cave wall with a resounding thud. Landing on her back, she didn't bother to pull herself up. Much easier to lie down and remember her teachings.

"Second Tenet," Asuka softly said to herself when she caught her breath. "Fight. The Graveler is immune to your natural electricity, but he crumbles before a strong fist. Hone your body into a weapon and use your Fighting-Type attacks to turn your strongest foe into your softest toy."

"Bah!" Big Rock wasn't amused by the few words he could understand. "You? Strong? Me? Weak?"

Asuka sprung to her feet. Her body ached, but she wouldn't allow such rebukes.

"I'm quoting my Sensei, you idiot!" Her eyes watered up, but she didn't really care how she looked. "Don't interrupt that wisdom!"

She dashed toward Big Rock. He started Throwing Rocks at her. She jumped over the first. Punched through the second. Rolled under the third and arrived at his feet. Without missing a beat, she jumped up and landed a Sky Uppercut squarely in his face.

"Gah!" Big Rock leaned back from the punch and partially lost his footing, almost falling over.

Asuka was just as surprised as Big Rock though. She was expecting the punch to break her hand or never even make it off the ground, so she had no follow-up attack. She just landed on her feet and looked dumbfounded at Big Rock. When Big Rock caught his balance and regained his footing, he was not happy.

"…Well, before you get angry, you _were_ being a jer-" Asuka was cut short by a face-full of fist. She fell backwards and into a sitting position. She held her nose and screamed in more aggravation than pain.

"You! Not! Allowed! Hit! Me!" Big Rock was winning, but screamed like he was losing. He grabbed Asuka by the throat with his big hands and raised her to eye-level. "You! Pay!" His voice boomed like a volcano.

Big Rock moved his smaller arms into place and proceeded to punch at Asuka's torso, but she was quick enough to block the attacks with her arms and oversized feet. Big Rock's short, stubby arms couldn't strike hard enough to do any damage which only frustrated him further. He tightened his grip on Asuka's throat. When she thought she couldn't breathe anymore, Asuka discharged a static bolt from her cheeks.

"Waa!" Big Rock flinched, dropping Asuka in the process. She knew an Electric attack wouldn't hurt him, but she was hoping a quick flash of light would throw him off. She was right.

Asuka fell to her back, gasping and gagging for air. She could barely breathe and still couldn't see well from that punch, but she scurried away as furiously as she could. The tip of her tail narrowly missed getting pinned under Big Rock's foot. Big Rock couldn't reach her after that, so he let her scamper away.

"Real. Funny." Despite his words, Big Rock didn't sound amused.

"Ach! Kaff, kaff!" Asuka's mind tried to make words, but her lungs only gave coughs. She managed to catch her breath. "Whuh-why are _you_ so mad!? You started this fight! I'm the one who lost a Sensei!"

Big Rock didn't answer. He just punched his fist into the ground.

A line of Stone Edges started stabbing through the dirt, coming closer and closer to Asuka. She managed to avoid every movie cliché of trying to outrun the rocks and simply rolled to the side. As the Stones continued to erupt from the ground, they formed a fence between her and the Graveler. Asuka finally had a minute to catch her breath and get back to her feet.

"Well, I'm still trapped, sore and don't stand a chance against him," she said to herself. "So I guess this little breather is pointless."

A Stone exploded. Big Rock poked his face through. Purely by instinct, Asuka cartwheeled toward the fence and hid inside a ridge about four Stones away from her predator.

"Peek. A boo!" Big Rock found his smile and was enjoying the fight again.

So, _that's_ how he was gonna find her? Using a Magnitude to crumble the rocks all at once? No, that's far too efficient and logical. Better to go with the slowest, most predictable route of smashing every single boulder and pandering to a crowd that isn't there. It was insulting that she couldn't beat this idiot.

"I'm sorry, Sensei." Asuka thought to herself. "I couldn't help you when you were here. And now, I can't even beat this guy you trained me to beat. I let us both down. I shouldn't have even tried."

She was willing to stand and wait for her executioner, but for some reason, she sat down. Heh heh. She was sitting just like Pennywise. Guess it looked cool for a final moments pose.

"Heeeere! Rocky!" Big Rock poked his face through another smashed boulder…How he knew about that reference is anyone's guess.

"Guess I'm sorry to you too, Pennywise. You believed in me too, but I let you down like everyone else."

The Third Tennant on the Path of Graveler.

"…Why did that just pop into my head?"

Third Tennant: Faith.

"Yeah, I know that. I gave up on talking about those after that jerk punched my face in!"

Your fight is going to be uphill, no matter how strong your attacks or how fast your movements.

"Please…Please stop remembering this."

You must have faith in yourself.

"No. No, no, no."

No matter how hard the fight, you can't give up.

"Why shouldn't I!? I tried so hard and I always failed!"

Your faith will be stronger than any strike, but giving up will hurt you worse than any foe ever could.

"Well, _my_ _faith_ lost Sensei! My faith can't even beat this idiot! My faith is worthless because _I'm_ worthless!"

"You smell? What Rock is cooking?" Big Rock smashed the third boulder. One more, and he would have his prey.

6 Gym Badges and 2 of the Elite 4.

"…What?"

That's how much you won Sensei. And you would have won 8 Badges if Sensei found you sooner.

"…Well, yeah. But those were fights with rules."

Those were fights against packs of ravenous dogs, earth-shakers and giant snakes made of boulders! Those were fights you weren't supposed to be in, let alone _win_!

"Well, Sensei taught me how to-"

And _you_ did it. With your own hands, _not_ Sensei's! Sensei may have been a sculptor, but what's a sculptor without clay?"

"Well…"

Don't give up! You've got the music in _you_!

"…Yeah?"

Besides. Are you going to let some idiot insult your Sensei's dojo by beating its star pupil?

"NO!"

Not quite sure what just happened in her own head, Asuka decided to stop thinking and go with her instincts, and her instincts told her Big Rock had a big face that was just begging to get punched.

Asuka sprung to her feet, faced the boulder she was leaning against and pulled a fist back. She set the other hand out in front of her as if to aim and closed her eyes. This attack requires the muscles to be perfectly tuned and the mind to be perfectly clear. It normally takes too long to do in pitched battles, but with Big Rock conveniently blinding himself and announcing his own presence…Well, one couldn't have asked for a better set-up.

Big Rock's fist smashed the boulder but before he could deliver another witticism, Asuka's Focus Punch smashed his face.

"HUUUUUH!?" was the closest thing to a question Big Rock could utter as he was hit so hard, he went rolling backwards like a bowling ball. When he stopped in a seated position, he didn't have enough time to ask another question.

With a furious cry and surprisingly good air for her size, Asuka came raining down from above and crashed into Big Rock's unsuspecting face with a Jump Kick. As he fell onto his back, Asuka stood on top of him and peppered his face with countless Arm Thrusts. Despite not being able to see, Big Rock rolled to his side and swatted Asuka away.

"STOP!" Big Rock demanded as he propped himself up on his arms. "YOU! NOT! WIN! ME! WIN!"

"You, shut up!" Asuka retorted as she got to her own feet. "I'm starting to think that if I was really as bad as I thought I was, I'd be dead by now. Let's see about that!"

Asuka ran towards Big Rock but before she could get far, he erupted another Stone Edge and caught her square in the chin, sending her high into the air. Big Rock let out a chuckle as his foe flew up into the dark abyss of the cave's ceiling. Having always thought the ceiling led to nowhere, he was certain that he had won and that Asuka had probably ceased to exist. One can imagine his surprise when a second later, not only did Asuka come shooting down like a missile, but so did a dozen more Asukas!

"WHAT!?" was the best Big Rock could say to describe his confusion.

Big Rock was too stunned to Rock Throw at the incoming armada and before he knew it, the Raichus had landed all around him and were punching at him, chipping away at his precious body. Swat as he might, none of the Raichus seemed to disappear and none of them seemed to stop punching. What he could never comprehend was that Asuka was using her favorite tactic: Double Team clones to confuse the enemy and constantly shifting her position by swapping with an adjacent clone. Having finally turned the battle to her favor, she couldn't help but let out a smile. The stress of survival and crushing self-loathing finally lifting from her weary spirit, she couldn't help but upgrade that smile to a relieved laughter.

A dozen Raichus all laughing at him, naturally, didn't sit well with Big Rock. "S-stop!" All of the attacks were only pestering him, but his feeble mind simple couldn't tolerate the idea of losing. "Stop! Right! Now!"

"What? No." Asuka answered nonchalantly, her mouth becoming sore from happiness. "You didn't stop when _I_ told you!"

"STOP!" Big Rock buried his face in his stubby arms and frantically flailed his big arms. "STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! BIG ROCK WIN! ONLY BIG ROCK WIN! NOT! PUNY! HUMAN-PET!"

"Geez, man! Why're you so-" Asuka stopped short as she realized something. "Oh, right. Fourth Tenet: The Graveler's Temper."

Asuka backflipped away from Big Rock just as he brought up three consecutive rings of Stone Edge around himself. Her clones were destroyed, but she missed the last ring by just a hair. She didn't take time to enjoy her evasion, but immediately started swerving in between the jagged rocks.

"A Graveler who can see his own defeat coming is a most dangerous foe." Asuka quoted as she made it through the field of Stones and saw her nemesis digging his hands into the ground and his eyes rolling back into his head. "For, unlike most foes, a nervous Graveler knows no shame."

The ground started to tremble as Big Rock attempted another Magnitude, but his attack was cut short, his hands were uprooted and his jaw clenched shut when Asuka's fist rocketed up into his chin. A Sky Uppercut forced Big Rock back onto his feet and Asuka on top his head. She crossed her arms and looked down at her furious opponent.

"Magnitudes and Earthquakes will be more common than breathing." Asuka taunted. Partly to aggravate Big Rock and partly to give her aching limbs a short rest from pummeling a boulder. "The Graveler will give up on fighting logically and instead abuse every attack he can like a child in a tantrum."

From on top of his head, Big Rock couldn't use Stone Edge or Magnitude to strike Asuka. Unable to spam his favorite moves, Big Rock begrudgingly had to think of something else. He tried grabbing her for a Seismic Toss, but Asuka leapt behind him, holding her scarf and tail close to her to prevent an easy catch. He pouted as he turned to see Asuka stretching her arms for the next round.

"Finish the Graveler quickly, or his temper will level the very battlefield in self-righteous boulders and tremors…" Asuka broke her recital for a moment to smirk at Big Rock. "Well, I might have to break that rule. Haven't had enough fun yet."

True to the Tenet's teaching, Big Rock immediately went for another Magnitude despite being only a foot away from his target. Asuka butterfly flipped and used the momentum of her twisting hips to punch one of Big Rock's arms out from under him. Spinning on the ball of her foot, she turned around and immediately punched out Big Rock's other hand. As the indignant boulder fell onto his face, Asuka pulled an arm back and focused as best she could in the few seconds Big Rock would be vulnerable. The Focus Punch wasn't as strong as the first one, but it was enough to send the Graveler sliding backwards on his face, roaring in pain the whole time.

"Grrrrrrr…" Big Rock's throat filled the cave with an unearthly growl, but it didn't deter Asuka from running at him. If she didn't immediately close the distance, the next Magnitude would be inevitable.

"STOP!" Big Rock's voice bellowed like a monster from the underworld. "WINNING!" He was back up to his feet.

Even with Asuka in strangling distance, the only thing Big Rock could think of was Magnitudes and Stone Edges. He raised his fists and sent them crashing down, but Asuka intercepted each attack by thrusting her own fists out on either side. Once. Twice. Three times. Four times. Big Rock grew more desperate with each failed attack. He grew more predictable with each failed attack.

"Now…There was one last note in the Fourth Tenet, but I can't remember what it was."

By the seventh attempt, Big Rock's attacks looked more like childish arm flailing than serious attacks. Mud tears started falling from his eyes as victory seemed to slip further and further away from him. Eventually, he gave up on his attacks and just settled for trying to strangle Asuka. Asuka, admittedly surprised by the change-up, almost didn't get her guard up in time to protect her throat. Big Rock's eyes tried to burn a hole through her face. Asuka struggled to keep his hands at bay, but her face had not trouble grinning.

"Only." The boulder's voice was eerily calm now. "Big Rock. Win…"

With that repetitive declaration, Big Rock clenched his teeth, shut his eyes and an alarming red glow started spreading from his core.

"Uh-oh." Asuka just remembered something. "Though Magnitudes will fall like rain, the Graveler's ultimate tactic is…Self-Destruct."

Just when she was feeling up, Asuka felt her spirits plummet again. Just when this big, stupid rock was about to go out, he played a trump card to take _her_ out. 

"Manohmanohmanohman!" Asuka thought to herself. "WhatdoIdowhatdoIdo!?"

Wait, isn't this right next to the room's entrance?

"Wha? How should I know!? I can't see around this giant jerk!"

Well, do something about it.

"Um…Ugh! I'm not gonna like this."

Asuka used Low Sweep to take out Big Rock's foot, sending all of his weight falling onto her. Her hands were free of Big Rock's hands, but immediately had to catch his body. Her body shook and her muscles screamed, but the clock was ticking; Big Rock was about 70% red now and steam was already starting to erupt from his body.

Spreading her feet out to gain a base, arching her back upward to get some height and gnashing her teeth involuntarily, Asuka dead-lifted Big Rock over her head.

Now that the crimson eyesore was out of her sight, she could see the tooth-like gate of stalactites she came from. The strain of Big Rock's weight taxed Asuka so much that she couldn't think. Thankfully, her next move was pure instinct.

"HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Asuka's lungs erupted as her arms shot forward, heaving a boulder that weighed as more than 4 of her about one foot through the air.

Asuka fell to her chest and watched the Graveler bounce. Once. Twice. Thr…Oh come on! Two and a half bounces and a little roll…Almost…THERE!

Kaboom.

Shrapnel.

Dust.

Asuka opened her eyes…Everything in one piece. Everything except the gate and Big Rock, that is.

Gravelers evolve into the reptilian Golems. It has not been confirmed, but many researchers believe that the Golem family contains reptile DNA in its genetic structures, even in the purely rock-based forms of Geodude and Graveler. Subscribers to this school of thought cite that the regenerative abilities of reptiles would explain how the Golem family can regenerate and reform their bodies even after blowing themselves up. Opponents of this theory, however, state that this would not explain why non-reptilian Pokemon can regenerate their bodies after explosions, including the almost entirely-synthetic Voltoorb and Electrode.

Neither aware of nor concerned by this scientific debate, Asuka pushed herself to her feet. Her arms and legs shook under her weight, but her spirits were raised enough to help her up. Slouched over and exhausted, she absent-mindedly made her way to the now-open gateway until her foot kicked something. Glancing down, she saw a rock…with an eye? Oh! It's part of Big Rock's face! As much as her back hated her for it, she bent down and picked it up. From just that eye, Big Rock looked very worried and sad.

"Aww." Asuka didn't sound very sorry for Big Rock. "Whassamatter? Did the big, stupid jerk go boom and lose anyway?"

Big Rock looked like he was going to tear up.

"You know what? This is all your fault anyway. Just to teach you a lesson, I'm gonna _keep_ this part." Asuka scolded him, finding some new energy in her gloating; Big Rock was finding new horror in his defeat. "Just kidding. You can have your eye. You can have _this too_!"

Asuka gave the eye in her hand a quick jab. It wasn't very strong, but it was enough to give him a black eye…And yes, a monster made of rock suddenly bruising looked exactly as weird as it sounded. This incident _might_ have gone ways to prove the reptile DNA theory, but it _definitely_ made Asuka's day. She chucked Big Rock's eye away and pranced out of the cave…Or at least as close to a prance as her exhausted muscles could muster.

It was still cloudy and raining outside, so Asuka's eyes didn't have to adjust much to the light. When she was sure that none of the Pokemon inside the cave could see her, she collapsed on the ground and leaned against the cave exterior. Her lungs ached, but joyously sucked clean air in and out; she loosened her scarf to aid the process.

She looked up at the sky and let the light rain cool her off. It wasn't until this moment of serenity that something occurred to her.

"I…I never beat…a Graveler before." Asuka realized in between gasps. "I…I finally…did it?"

"Fif…Fifth Tenet…Love. R-regardless…of the outcome of battle…You said you…would love me." Asuka caught her breath. "Is that true, Sensei? Is that…is that why you told me to run when were ambushed?"

Asuka closed her eyes. A tear rolled down her bruised cheek.

"Thank you, Sensei…And regardless of where you are…I love you. I promise I'll take care of the others for you, the way you took care of me."

Asuka was tired. She would have loved to fall asleep right there, but she knew there were too many wild Pokemon even outside the cave that would love an easy meal. Though her arms and legs were throbbing, she forced herself up and soldiered on back to Pennywise. Plenty of time to rest when she was back with family.


End file.
